Some of the 2022-23 Parent Council Members volunteering at Family Weekend
Applications for new members of the Parents Council are closed for the year. Applications for new members for the 25-26 academic year will open at the end of the Spring 2025 semester. If you have questions about the Parents Council contact parents.council@unh.edu.
Mission
The University of New Hampshire Parents Council exists to forge connections and advance initiatives in support of student success on campus and after graduation. The Parents Council is committed to building and maintaining positive connections between families and UNH, keeping parents informed, and giving them a voice on campus.
Objectives
- Ease the transition to UNH for incoming students and their parents/guardians through welcome events and information sharing.
- Add value to the student experience through grants, prizes, the Undergraduate Research Conference, select advocacy initiatives and participation in career networking.
- Forge connections and help provide opportunities to solidify bonds between parents, their students and the many facets of UNH on and off campus (through Family Weekend, social media, off campus UNH gatherings, etc.).
What we do?
The Parents Council meets on campus four times each year*. Meeting agendas include discussion, planning, informative speakers from campus groups such as the Career and Professional Success, University Advising Center, Health & Wellness and Campus Recreation and “field trips” to various locations on campus.
Each Parents Council member serves on at least one of the following standing committees and participates on conference calls as needed to complete committee initiatives between meetings.
- Campus Connections: Facilitating and organizing volunteer opportunities at key events including Admitted Student Visit Days, Wildcat Days, Move-In, Orientation, and Fall Open House.
- Communications and Social Media: Serve as editorial advisors for Parents e-newsletter and assist Student Life Leadership with website updates. Serve as administrators for the UNH Parents Facebook page. Provide PR support and promotional materials on Council initiatives. Partner with UNH departments and organizations to host live stream and online events that benefit our Parent community (i.e Housing, Graduation, Athletics, Campus Safety)
- Family Weekend: Participate alongside the Office of New Student Programs in yearly planning and evaluation of Family Weekend. Includes organizing Parents Council members to volunteer at the event (setup and breakdown of programs and assisting with check-in) and collecting prize donations.
- Student Enrichment: Review and award student grant applications. Serve as judges in the Undergraduate Research Conference. Assist with supporting basic needs initiatives including food donations for food pantries at Durham and Manchester campuses.
